Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we speak about our practice styles. Over the course of the case interview training program, it becomes very important for us to change our coaching style. First, candidates become used to solving cases in just this one style and we need to ensure they can adapt to any style. Second, candidates become adept at re...

This general podcast describes some of the common misconceptions applicants and even practicing McKinsey/BCG consultants have about their own firms. It will be useful to anyone who wants to understand some of the broad themes and misunderstandings about the profession.   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download:  www.firmsconsulting.com...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss why you should bring energy to the interview.   Lots of candidates leave it to the interviewer to determine the energy levels, tone and mood of the call. That is a bad idea. In our experience, the best candidates always bring a light mood to interviews. Seriousness can hurt you as it is confused for a...

Many candidates forget to sanity-check their calculations in a case. That is a bad idea. Without a sanity-check there is no way to meaningfully assess the accuracy of your answer. More important, how you perform the sanity check is the key. All sanity-checks must involve the reduction of the answer to a number that you can intuitively compare to your own experiences. Unless you do this, you can ne...

Networking with a partner is counter-intuitive. It is much easier to network with a McKinsey / BCG partner for at least four reasons. First, partners always return emails. Second, partners are generally willing to take a call just to explore your profile. Third, partners are less hung up on things like degrees etc. since they look deeper at a profile. Fourth, partners are accessible with easy to f...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss how to gain more experience. Many candidates are declined with the suggestion to gain more work experience. Unfortunately, candidates take this feedback at face value. This podcast explains what this feedback means and suggests a vital shortcut to fix this problem. Hint, it does not require work exper...

In this podcast we have listed some of the most common and most significant networking mistakes made by candidates. Since many of these have been made by clients, we have had an opportunity to discuss the mistakes, their motivations, the fall out and their response. Therefore, we can provide a comprehensive discussion on the implications of these mistakes. In general, no matter how badly a McKinse...

Being a young business analyst or associate on the receiving end of blunt and harsh feedback from a partner is a very jarring experience. However, it is also somewhat of a compliment. I never understand this very, very important point until my mentor, a senior partner, pointed this out to me when the managing partner gave me a very time about an initiative I was running. In hindsight, this was one...

Storytelling is a very powerful technique to ensure someone remembers you after an interview. In fact, even when we screen people at Firmsconsulting today, we use this technique I applied as a partner. The rule is simple: if I can remember your key messages from the interview the next day, I would make you an offer. That, of course, assumes you had passed all the other hurdles well enough. One way...

Communication and image in a case interview is governed by both what you say and how you say. It is true that how you say something tends to carry more weight. However, in some case, certain phrases should definitely be avoided because they cause much damage it is very hard to recover from them. We discuss them in this podcast.   Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Mana...

Networking calls/coffee chats are tricky. You should not be following the advice found for general recruitment. We insist our clients network with partners so most of the advice we provide is for networking with McKinsey and BCG partners. The reality is that partners are best equipped, and most influential, to assess a unique profile and make a judgement call on the spot. The danger is that if you...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss speed. Far too many candidates focus on being faster. That is another myth.   Speed is an outcome of having good technique. So if you are slow, deconstruct your technique, analyze weaknesses and develop a new way to solve arithmetic. That is key. Unless your technique improves aka "your process to sol...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we dtalk about case length and details.    When we ask candidates for more details in their resume, fit responses and cover letter, they always write longer sentences. There is an important difference between "more details" and "greater length". Most candidates are accustomed to spending just a few minutes on a...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we speak about career rotation vs. progression.   Candidates always want to show improvement on their resumes in the months leading up to their applications. For those working in industry or rival consulting firms, showing leadership and career development is crucial. This podcast explains that career rotation,...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we speak about the three core technical concepts around cases.   We always teach clients estimation technique first, followed by brainstorming technique and finally full case technique. There is a simple reason for this, which is explained in this podcast. Estimations tend to be, but not always, a brainstorm wit...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we speak about leadership versus teamwork answers. If you are thinking through responses to leadership and teamwork questions, the starting point should be knowing the differences between both. At its core, to McKinsey especially, leadership is about influencing a group people to undertake and complete an initia...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we provide a simple set of priority areas that a novice aspiring consultant should focus upon in the building up to the MBA full-time September interviews. It ties together themes from existing podcasts but presents them in the format of a case interview preparation roadmap.   Here are some free gifts for you: O...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss why candidates fail profit cases.   Most candidates would tackle a McKinsey profitability case by presenting a revenue-cost framework and offer options to lower costs and increase revenue. The reality is that such a framework and explanation shows a deep misunderstanding of business and business strat...

99% of clients misunderstand learning and practicing. At its essence, you cannot practice McKinsey cases until you learn McKinsey cases. Most candidates start of their case interview preparation by reaching out to colleagues and consultants to practice cases, not having gone through the learning steps. Without a good strategy of separating learning from practicing you will simply absorb what you h...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discussed why communication is the most critical skill that a consultant must possess and how to effectively communicate in a logical and structured way.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download:  www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKin...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we covered a topic about different offices and locations to work if you are an English speaker and its upside and downside you may consider.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download:  www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winnin...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we spoke about a candidate that we took that did not go well and the important lessons we learned from it.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download:  www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download:  www.firms...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we discuss what brainstorming is in consulting and what it is not. You will learn what you should actually do when asked to brainstorm.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download:  www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning res...

For this episode, let's revisit a Case Interview & Management Consulting classic where we spoke about the reality of exit opportunities in management consulting.   Here are some free gifts for you:   Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach   McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf   Get Exc...

In this episode, Krista White, coauthor of Culture Design and cofounder of Culture Design Lab explains how leaders can treat culture as a strategic lever rather than an HR initiative.  1. Culture is inseparable from strategy Krista stresses that culture cannot be treated as background. It determines whether strategic plans survive contact with execution. "We were noticing that there was a gap in p...